Sports fans across the nation are eagerly awaiting the first pitch of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. From Tampa Bay to Toronto, all 30 teams will play ball on opening day.
Did you know that all team names end with the letter “s” except for two? Can you name them?
The national pastime comes to us courtesy of 29 teams from 25 metropolitan areas across the United States and one team from Canada. The American League and the National League each have five teams in three divisions: East, Central and West as shown on the map below.
A metropolitan statistical area is a geographic entity delineated by the Office of Management and Budget for use by federal statistical agencies. Metro areas consist of the county (counties) associated with at least one urban area with a population of at least 50,000 plus adjacent counties with a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties.
Use the links below to explore the cities and states of your favorite teams through U.S. Census Bureau profiles that provide population counts as well as social, demographic and economic data.
The ranking table below shows the top 40 metro areas in the United States. The total 2023 population estimate of the 25 metro areas with a team is 134,751,755 with 91,565,571 for the National League and 89,313,319 for the American League (not including the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada). There are four metro areas that have one team in the National League and one team in the American League.
As part of Major League Baseball’s 2024 season schedule, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres — two teams with a tradition of South Korean players — face off in Seoul, South Korea. In April 2024, the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies play in Mexico City, Mexico. And in June 2024, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies play in London, United Kingdom.
Let’s not forget about our neighbor to the north, Canada. As part of regular season play, the Blue Jays will be hosting 81 home games at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
For over 60 years, the Census Bureau has performed international analytical work and assisted in the collection, processing, analysis, dissemination and use of statistics with counterpart governments in over 100 countries.
The Census Bureau’s International Programs Center advances decision-making for the global statistical community. You can explore population estimates and projections for more than 200 countries using our International Database tool.
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